Re: Belize prayer update 3

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 17, 2010, at 11:56 AM, "Brett & Marla Shideler" <brett-marla_shideler@sil.org> wrote:

We had another great day Tuesday!

Scot and Jerry went to do more training. Monday they had done training for the paramedics at Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT). Yesterday they worked with the people of BERT to do training for some of the health care workers of the people of Belize. Today they are actually going to have the chance to go out on calls with the paramedics of BERT, offering assistance and on the job training.

The other eight of us spent the day at YES. We started off the day again worshiping and doing devotionals with the girls. It was amazing how much they opened up on the second day. As we worked along side of them, we laughed, talked, and really had great opportunities to listen.

The construction crew made great progress on the educational building, laying the floor and is ready to start on the walls today. A team also painted their main office building (it had been peeling blue paint when we got there and now it has a bright coat a fresh new paint).

We had a great time as a team last night - we spent some time away from the big group so those of us from Arlington would have a chance to connect and pray together.

Continued prayer requests:

- for continued relationship building with the girls at YES, and opportunities to share God's grace and Christ's love with them

- for Scot and Jerry as they go out on calls that they may help people medically and also have the opportunity to share the love of Christ

-pray for Nancy Cifeuntes - she is one of the students at YES. She lives at a children's home with her siblings. She has one more year at the home before she ages out- and then the situation is "bad" (as the staff at YES has described it).

- part of our group is going to have an opportunity to go by the Burial Grounds district of Belize city where we worked last year and visit with the students and teachers we worked with last year. Pray for a sweet time of fellowship and reconnection

- Sophie is headed to the prison this afternoon with the head of the sewing project from our team to work through some scheduling conflict so we can go out there tomorrow and spend time with the women prisoners. Pray that everything works out well.

- Matt Mitchell (the Associate Pastor of the Lubbock team) and his daughter Loralei are flying out tomorrow for a weekend commitment back in the States. And pray for our big group as we adjust to not having Matt here

- and finally our group is bonding, well (the ten of us and as a big group), but continue to pray for those relationships.

Praying for you as well.

Blessings and love,

The Belize Team

Belize prayer update 3

We had another great day Tuesday!

Scot and Jerry went to do more training. Monday they had done training for the paramedics at Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT). Yesterday they worked with the people of BERT to do training for some of the health care workers of the people of Belize. Today they are actually going to have the chance to go out on calls with the paramedics of BERT, offering assistance and on the job training.

The other eight of us spent the day at YES. We started off the day again worshiping and doing devotionals with the girls. It was amazing how much they opened up on the second day. As we worked along side of them, we laughed, talked, and really had great opportunities to listen.

The construction crew made great progress on the educational building, laying the floor and is ready to start on the walls today. A team also painted their main office building (it had been peeling blue paint when we got there and now it has a bright coat a fresh new paint).

We had a great time as a team last night - we spent some time away from the big group so those of us from Arlington would have a chance to connect and pray together.

Continued prayer requests:

- for continued relationship building with the girls at YES, and opportunities to share God's grace and Christ's love with them

- for Scot and Jerry as they go out on calls that they may help people medically and also have the opportunity to share the love of Christ

-pray for Nancy Cifeuntes - she is one of the students at YES. She lives at a children's home with her siblings. She has one more year at the home before she ages out- and then the situation is "bad" (as the staff at YES has described it).

- part of our group is going to have an opportunity to go by the Burial Grounds district of Belize city where we worked last year and visit with the students and teachers we worked with last year. Pray for a sweet time of fellowship and reconnection

- Sophie is headed to the prison this afternoon with the head of the sewing project from our team to work through some scheduling conflict so we can go out there tomorrow and spend time with the women prisoners. Pray that everything works out well.

- Matt Mitchell (the Associate Pastor of the Lubbock team) and his daughter Loralei are flying out tomorrow for a weekend commitment back in the States. And pray for our big group as we adjust to not having Matt here

- and finally our group is bonding, well (the ten of us and as a big group), but continue to pray for those relationships.

Praying for you as well.

Blessings and love,

The Belize Team

Belize prayer update 2

Received the following from Sophie this morning.
What a privilege to have current, updated news of our team so we can know how to lift them up in prayer!

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights."
Psalm 36: 7 - 8

--- the forwarded message follows ---
From: "Sophie Draffin" <fpca_youth@yahoo.com>
To: "Brett & Marla Shideler" <brett-marla_shideler@sil.org>
Subj: Monday Belize Update
Received: 16 Mar, 10 12:32:35 AM

Our first three days in Belize have gone extremely well (and quickly)!

Sunday we worshiped at Trinity Church.  The service was lively and full of energy, and we saw God at work in the lives of the congregation.  We experienced some things in the service that some of us "frozen chosen" have only read about in the Bible, but we truly enjoyed experiencing a new culture, new ways of worshiping, learning new songs, and seeing God's Spirit at work.

We are eating dinner every night at the church instead of eating out. By paying them to provide meals we are helping to fund their church community and missions. 

We had some free time Sunday and a group of us were able to go see Moises and his family during that time (if you aren't familiar with the Moises story you can read more about it on the FPCA missions blog,  http://fpcamissions.blogspot.com/).  It was great to see Moises and see how healthy he is. He showed us around his house and  recited for us a Bible  verse he had memorized. We also met all of his siblings, played soccer with them, and taught them how to throw an American football. We took all the kids for ice cream, brought the older girls Bibles and school supplies. We brought the younger kids toys and the newest member of the family (Lisa - 6 months) baby clothes. 

Monday started our work week.  Our main project is at Youth Enhancement Services (YES). YES is an alternative school for girls - some couldn't keep up in traditional schools for various reasons. Most of them come from broken homes, or have faced abuse of some kind whether physical, sexual, or emotional.  Some of the girls are Christians, but others are still seeking.

The very first thing we did this morning was a time of worship/devotionals. This is how we are going to start each day with the YES students.

After our devotional time, we split up into different responsibilities. Some of the team worked with the girls on some of their projects. We had a group doing construction, working to double the size of their educational classroom building.

In the afternoon Tony (doing construction) and Mackenzie (working with the girls) stayed at YES in Lords Bank. A group of us headed out to Belompan for a task that came up that day. Sophie, Michelle, and Jennifer helped to unload a freight container that just arrived full of school desks. The desks were supplied by West Texas A&M (and the story of the donation of the desks is still on the Word at Work website). Suzie, Kelly, and Hannah headed out to Belmopan as well and had the chance to spend the afternoon at King's Children's Home, a Christian orphanage run by an amazing woman.  Though they were only there for the afternoon, the kids LOVED having them there.

Scot and Jerry spent the day at Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT).  BERT is the only ambulance service in the country of Belize.  Scot and Jerry provided much needed training for them today and will continue to do so throughout the week. 

The rest of us will return to YES tomorrow to continue work with the students and the construction work.

Prayer requests
- continued safey and health
- opportunities to share God's love with the students at YES
- opportunities to build relationships with those students, and with those who live in the community around YES
- our group has really come together and has connected well with the Lubbock group.  Please pray for continued good relationsips, and for even deeper connections. 
- later in the week we will have the opportunity to send some of our team members to work with the prisoners in Belize Central Prison and to help at the YES campus in Belize City.  Pray for those opportunities and relationship building, and the chance to share and show God's love and grace. 
- and please continue to pray that we too may be open to what God is doing in our own lives as we are ministering to others, but at the same time being ministered to as well. 

Thank you for your prayers - they are a much needed covering for us.

- the Belize team

Belize prayer update 1

Received the following at 4:57 PM Saturday...

"We made it to Belize safe and sound, and were met at the airport by the Word at Work missionary, Beth. We have checked into the hotel and are about to leave for dinner at Trinity Church (the church is fixing us diner). We are worshiping there tomorrow, and Pastor Ruth is someone Michelle and I met in Jan and we are looking forward to seeing her. Super excited to be here after our day of travel."

Praise God for safe arrival and for the warm welcome by fellow believers!
Pray for a good first night's sleep and that experience God in a new and significant way in worship tomorrow.
Pray God would be at work in the hearts of our team preparing them to serve and be served.

"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our
God, his holy mountain... Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the
ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness... For this
God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."
Psalm 48:1,10,14

IMG00024-20100313-1059.jpg

This is a picture of our 2010 Belize ready for our trip.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Moises Update Feb 2010

Update from Tim Tam:

I got the chance to visit Moises and his family a few weeks back.
The photos show his new little sister, child number 10.
My wife finally got to meet her namesake in person, "Lisa Marie".
And I got to finish some unsettled business with Moises.
As he has promised God that he will become a pastor I felt I needed to
impress upon him the importance of getting God's word not only into his
head, but also into his heart. We went over the first Psalm together which
holds a promise of success to the one who meditates on God's Word day and
night.
So I gave him some homework, to have this Psalm memorized by the next time I
come to see him.

Moises is a picture of health and everything with the family seems fine.
His father still struggles to find regular work.

For those of you who continue to ask how you might help or continue to be
involved............

Only one need remains.
We hoped to have an education fund to keep his older sisters in school and
to have funds available for Moises to go to high school in a couple years.
We are still hoping someone responds to that need. Please contact me if you
are able and willing to help.

Cameroon Team Update

The update from Saturday from our Cameroon team:

Praise God for the good beginning the team has had!

• All their luggage arrived when they did last night and they cleared passport control without any difficulty upon arrival.
• They were met at the airport by Wycliffe missionaries and taken to their home for dinner.
• Before heading to the guesthouse they made contact with a woman who will prepare meals for them on Saturday and Monday evenings as well as shop for needed supplies for breakfast and lunch.
• They have the use of a kitchen at the guesthouse and are pleased with how that’s working out.
• Everyone slept well last night and is doing well. Rob and Bill are playing soccer (or “football” if you’re in Cameroon ) in the open grassy area at the center of the guest complex!
• They’ve picked up the Toyota van they’ll use for their travels and have it parked at the guesthouse.

This afternoon they’ll tour the facilities of Rain Forest International School (where Brett and I worked during our years in Cameroon ). The school is nearing the end of building a new campus so they’ll tour both the current school site as well as the new one.

Tomorrow morning they’ll attend Bastos Presbyterian Church for worship. This is a large congregation in Yaounde .

By God’s good grace, everyone is doing well!

From the prayer calendar:

Pray for a healthy start as the team wakes up to begin their time in Cameroon .

Pray for Brett as he introduces the team to the work of Bible translation in Cameroon .

Pray for team members who will tour Ydé SIL/Wycliffe facilities, meet many new people, and begin their introduction to Cameroon .

Pray for good adjustment to the 7-hour time difference.

"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain...Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness...For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."

Psalm 48:1,10,14